The most important things to remember in any given situation, at any stage of life...are to breathe, deeply and mindfully, to move your body daily and to nourish yourself with good food, good people or good vibes.

Pages

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Hello lovely readers! Today I am dividing my post into sections; pregnancy, food/nutrition, fitness & finally the usual update on my life with a 21month old. Firstly, I'd like to mention that in Melbourne right now it is STINKING hot...normally I love the heat, if you know me you know that summer & I are the best of friends. However it is difficult to sunbathe with a toddler, and carrying a thermos in my uterus makes the sticky days rather uncomfortable! So I am niether as tanned as I normally am nor as excited by the heat wave...its just nice to get the washing done & dry.

Pregnancy

Baby "be" is now 24weeks cooked. Throughout the day I experience quite alot of movement and actually quite a few braxton hicks which started at around 20weeks. It's amazing to watch the movement under my skin, to feel the powerful kicks & flailing arms, I am very ready to welcome this little babe into my life. River is now more interested in my belly and will often hug & kiss the baby.
I'm not sure about my size but I havent had to get any new clothes yet, all my clothes are either loose and flowy or stretchy gym wear! My boobs are definitely not growing though...I'm going to chalk that down to still breastfeeding although as of last week I cannot even see if I have any milk at all. River seems unbothered though and is happy to feed about 3/4 times each day, mostly before naps/bed. I still have never experienced cravings for certain foods!
My blood test results came back with the all clear, I was over the moon at this. The only thing I have to watch is macrocytosis (enlarged red blood cells) which can happen as a cause of low B12 or folate or just in response to pregnancy. Both B12 & folate levels were fine.
The most important lesson I have learnt from this is that just because someone claims to know more than you, your instincts are often far more accurate than anyones advice about your life. I am glad I have stuck to my guns & plan my diet in a way that serves myself & the environment. My kids are healthy and strong...and that in itself is proof I am doing the right thing for us.
Some of you know that I am planning a home birth VBAC. River's labor was long and ended in a cascade of intervention folled by an emergency c section. I do not want the same experiences this time around. In this day & age I feel many people are terrified of home birth and must think I am absolutely bonkers for trying to give birth naturally after a cesearean. But my midwives are very experienced and we are all doing plenty of research and preparation for this birth. Eric has been a fantastic support and while there are some things I'm working on overcoming, I am looking forward to the actual birth. I am definitely not scared of any pain, or any complications occuring because of my scar. The only things that worry me are really quite trivial...I dont want to completely destroy the asthetics down there, nor, dare I say, do I want to crap myself!!! But I'm sure in the moment these things will not worry me at all.
Anyway...moving on...haha :)

Food

Recipe of the day is for Chia seed Pancakes:

3 cups raw organic buckwheat

1 cup chia seeds

600ml raw coconut milk

1 tbs sea salt

Soak buckwheat for 24-36hrs, changing the water every 6hrs. Wash & drain thouroughly. Soak chia seeds in two cups of water for about 6hrs, until most of the water is absorbed. Mix both together in a large bowl, add the other ingredients & mix in a food processor until ingredients are coarsely blended then whisk until batter is similar to pancake consitancy.
Cook using coconut oil and add your favourite sweet/savory fillings. YUM.

The biggest issue I am currently facing in regard to food, is the quantity that we eat at home!! River easily smashes out three breakfasts and two dinners...its the first thing he wants upon wakening! It will definitely be interesting once I have two hungry toddlers to feed!

Many of my clients have started their 12 week Challenge and this involves LOTS of preparation and eating well. My biggest tip to all of you is to find your hunger cues, LISTEN to your bodies. Once you cut out the crap you will feel BETTER! This is just the truth, and it is simple but it takes a long time to learn. Perhaps one day I will write about my journey with food and learning to respect myself, just for now please understand that it takes time to undo damage, it takes time to heal, and the best way forward is nourishing your body from the inside out.

Fitness

In this heat it is hard to want to be active. Increasing my work hours makes it difficult too. But I have had a big cry & a big discussion and I have worked out a plan that suits me. I will do WODs three days a week and yoga in between. I am going to keep the weekends free. This is not overwhelming and I think I can stay in great shape mentally and physically following this scheme. I think I keep forgetting about myself in persuit of achieving everything I feel I need to, then getting cranky and anxious because I dont feel cared for. Well, its time to start caring for myself!! And actually allowing others to help me.

Its been a really proud week as a trainer when most of my clients goals are based on health rather than specific numbers on the scales. That is what I aim to instill in everyone I teach, that health is the goal, weightloss and a hot body are pleasant side effects of healthy living. I could never have dreamed of doing the things I can do now if all I ever focused on was my goal weight. Just get off your ass. Stop playing on your phone, stop watching tv, stop making excuses because as we all know even the slowest person is lapping everyone on the couch!

This is a sample workout that anyone can do, anywhere, anytime:
15mins As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP)

10 Pushups

20 Squats

400m run

My life

So I was planning on a big spiel however its almost dinner time & I feel as though I am melting. Three of my lovely girlfriends had their babies over the last few weeks. Such beautiful creatures and I was blessed to meet and snuggle two of them! I cannot wait to have my own infant to hold... River is growing up too fast!

Well that is about all I have time for today, thankyou as always for reading my blog, every one of you who supports me is a blessing.